The Old Man of Lochnagar

by Charles III, Hugh Casson (illustrator)

An old, cave-dwelling man attempting to climb a cliff falls into the Loch of Lochnagar, where, after sinking for one hour, he meets lagopus Scoticus, a bubble-blowing god of the sea

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Picture Books, Scotland, Humor, Fantasy, British Literature

46 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

As the oldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, King Charles III is the king of the United Kingdom. He ascended to the throne after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022. He is the oldest person ever to assume the British throne.

Under public scrutiny his entire life, Charles graduated from Trinity College before embarking on a military career which culminated with him commanding the HMS Bronington. He married Diana Spencer in the summer of 1981 to huge media fanfare, though the couple would eventually divorce in 1996 after years of gossip and scandal. Charles later wed longtime love, Camilla Parker Bowles, some time after Princess Diana's death. He is the father of Princes William and Harry and is also a grandfather. Among his many philanthropic and environmental endeavors are the Prince’s Trust and the Prince’s Rainforest Project.

Reviews

[Lilian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Potentially the best, certainly the silliest, book I've read this year.

My favourite line:
'The old man had a slight hangover after all the Loch-haggis he had eaten and he sat holding his head in his hands. Then he held it in his feet and, finally, between his teeth, to see if it felt any better that way.'

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read after climbing Lochnagar at Ballater Hostel

[Andrea Zuvich · Rating 2 out of 5]

Big royal fan here but I thought this was not as good as I expected and both my daughter and I found it a little uninteresting at times. The illustrations were not very good, sadly. Still, some aspects were entertaining and imaginative such as the little Gorms.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this book about 20 years ago and I remember enjoying reading it many times. It was a novelty to have a book written by a Prince and I only recalled it today.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely wacky fun read for children. Similar humour to Roald Dahl, lovely simple illustrations.

[Cynthia Egbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since he is now the king and this has been on my radar for some time I decided to purchase this one for my library. It was quite eccentric and odd and the story is wordy and there may be too much script on each page for reading to younger children but I found it delightful. The illustrations are quirky and minimalistic and seemed to fit the script well. After reading this I now believe the king to have far more imagination than I ever expected. He even created a fabulous pun using the word "gormless" that had me snorting out loud. But my favorite part was the description of the old man's loo, the place where he does most of his reading!

[Tweedledum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prince Charles' quirky and funny picture book passed my family by when my children were young, but they would have loved this fantastical tale full of clever word play and delightful images. Bagpipes that both flush the loo and play a tune... Brilliant. Rather an abrupt ending as if Charkes suddenly ran out of time or was summoned to do something serious! Let's hope he finds time to read it to his new grandchildren!

[Royce Ratterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful tale of an old man and his adventure, an adventure commenced quite by accident, or fate if one wished to say. Published 40 years ago, this tale makes a wonderful read for one's children or grandchildren. It is divided into 6 sections/chapters complete with colorful illustrations. Probably a 3.5 for adults, but much higher depending on the ages of the children readers involved. Prince Charles must have enjoyed working on this story.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book as a child

[Tym · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very good honestly, especially the last part.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ran across a reference to this in another book I read recently, and thought it might be fun to read. And it was. It is an entirely ridiculous story about an old man who lives in a Scottish cave, and the completely fantastical adventures he has. Great for reading aloud to young children, especially as it can be broken up into several "episodes".

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read this as we were staying at Loch Muick and Lochnagar.
Interesting to see another side to Price Charles

[The Library Mouse Tales · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea that King Charles was a published children’s book author. It was only while shopping for books to celebrate the coronation that I discovered this book and some of his other work. This is a funny, adventure story written by the King himself in 1980, when he was Prince of Wales.

The story is about an old man of who lives in a cave near Loch Lochnagar (which is close to Balmoral, where the British Royal family have their favourite Summer home). The old man loves living alone out in the wild countryside and has many strange and wonderful friends including the underwater Loch King lagopus Scoticus, the little Gorm people who live in cairns, and his tame bird friends such as the capercaillie who pull his flying carriage, Skean and Dhu his fishing ospreys and a pair of stags who pull his winter sledge.

After eavesdropping on people having picnics, the old man decides he should visit London to see for himself the place he has heard so much about. However, after meeting some other grumpy passengers and a disasterous start to his rail journey, he decides that he would rather stay at home after all. He realises that there is no place “more special to be, than to be living at the foot of Lochnagar. ” It is often reported how much the Royal family enjoy their private family time at Balmoral, so I wonder if the old man and King Charles feel the same way about living there.

This book is full of imaginative descriptions and longer text than most picture books so is probably better suited for older children or could be read aloud for younger/less able readers. It has wonderful, watercolour sketches throughout the book by Sir Hugh Casson which help display the character of the old man and some of the fantastic creatures who are his neighbours and friends. All the references to local scottish animals and scenery show just how well the King is familiar with and loves the countryside in that part of Scotland. The fantasy creatures and humour of the story reminds me a little of Roald Dahl or Terry Pratchett and the slightly grumpy & happy to be alone old man is similar to Raymond Brigg’s Father Christmas! If you enjoy any of these authors, give this story a try!

[Blanche · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, it was fun and different.
I have been meaning to buy and read it for years and now finally got it for a present, from my wish list.
I was interested to read the book our king wrote and have also got the one about the environment that he has written but that will take a lot longer to read!
This is fun with a great sense of humour and character. It makes me think of old Scottish holiday memories. I also love that it talks about blaeberries rather than blueberries.
It was written in 1980 so a refreshing way of writing too. I don't like the "shooting" bit but I am sure that the haggis will forgive it!
I also love the artwork, it has real character.

[Rachel Collins-Lister · Rating 1 out of 5]

My late maternal grandma had a copy of this book which she bought around the time the author married Diana. My grandma kept this book separate from her other books in a paper bag, just because it was written by a royal. (She stopped reading the Daily Mirror because she took umbrage to something one of its columnists wrote about a royal, and she thought the author's brother was "charming and handsome".)
My grandma once let me look at her copy of this book. I didn't enjoy it much.

[Ursula Charlton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is toigh leam e ! J'adore ! ♥ I had no idea King Charles had written the Gaelic book, ordered it and just read it now, I wasn't prepared to laugh so much it's hilarious an absolute gem! I can imagine the little Prince William and his brother in fits of giggles as their father read it to them. To think King Charles has such a wonderful hidden sense of humour. Beannacht Dé leis an Rí ♥!

['Manda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this book when we were having a clear out. Gave it a read, it is a nice little story. I remembered watching the animation on TV at my Nan's house when I was a child.

[Ricky Balas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and enjoyable read with the kids. The beginning is very witty, but becomes a little more disjointed by the middle. I think King Charles is a talented writer, but this could have used an editor.

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story HM King Charles III wrote when he was HRH Prince of Wales. It was a story he told his younger brothers. I liked the fun of the story.

[Fabian Williges · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little story.

[Graham Sillars · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fun, if somewhat, strange little book. Happy to have read it.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as a child after my mum bought me a copy. It was entertaining and beautifully illustrated. I no longer have a copy but the memory of it lingers.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

rating: 1.5

An odd little tale with several vague adventures, but not appealing. A child who's visited Lochnagar might be able to relate to parts of the story.

The sprinklings of humor should be nourished and given room to sprout.